TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: National Science Day in India, celebrated on February 28, marks the commemoration of the “Raman Effect” discovery by physicist Sir CV Raman.
EXPLANATION:
- Designated in 1986 by the Government of India, this day honors Raman’s groundbreaking work that earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
- The Raman Effect has far-reaching implications in science, particularly in the field of quantum theory and chemical analysis.
Early Life and Academic Achievements:
- CV Raman, born in 1888 in Trichy, emerged as a prodigious scholar. At the age of 16, he secured a BA degree, standing first in his class.
- His pursuit of knowledge led to the publication of his first research paper while pursuing his MA degree.
- Health constraints prevented him from studying abroad, prompting him to engage in after-hours research at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) in Calcutta.
- Despite working as a full-time civil servant, Raman’s charisma and award-winning research elevated the profile of IACS.
- Eventually, at the age of 29, he resigned from civil services and assumed a professorship at Presidency College, Calcutta.
- Raman’s journey to England in 1921 marked a turning point.
- While traversing the Mediterranean Sea, he questioned the conventional explanation for the sea’s color and delved into the phenomenon of light scattering.
- This curiosity laid the foundation for his groundbreaking observations on the Raman Effect.
The Raman Effect Explained:
- The Raman Effect, as discovered by Raman, involves the alteration of light color when it passes through a liquid.
- The phenomenon results from the change in wavelength as a light beam encounters molecular deflection.
- In simple terms, a fraction of the light scattered by a liquid assumes a different color.
- Raman and his co-author, KS Krishnan, conducted extensive experiments on 60 different liquids, consistently observing the same outcome.
- The universal nature of this phenomenon was emphasized in their report titled “A New Type of Secondary Radiation” published in Nature.
Quantum Theory Implications:
- Raman’s discovery had profound implications for quantum theory, a dominant paradigm in the scientific community during that time.
- In his Nobel Prize speech, Raman highlighted how the scattered radiations provided insights into the ultimate structure of the scattering substance, contributing significantly to quantum theory.
Evolution of Raman Spectroscopy:
- The Raman Effect birthed a new field known as Raman spectroscopy. Published findings in the Indian Journal of Physics in 1928 further substantiated the observations.
- Raman spectroscopy, evolving over time with advancements such as lasers, became a fundamental analytical tool for non-destructive chemical analysis of both organic and inorganic compounds.
Contemporary Applications:
- Today, Raman spectroscopy finds diverse applications, ranging from non-invasive studies of art and cultural artifacts to detecting concealed drugs in luggage at customs.
- The invention of lasers has augmented the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy, expanding its utility across various scientific domains.
Conclusion:
- The legacy of CV Raman’s discovery continues to resonate in the scientific community. National Science Day serves as a reminder of the transformative power of Raman’s work, shaping quantum theory and influencing a spectrum of applications in modern science and technology.
